In September 2000, Adam Taliaferro was a freshman cornerback at Penn State with a bright future in the NFL. But a jarring hit in the waning moments of a losing game left him paralyzed on the field, his fifth cervical vertebra shattered, his spinal cord bruised, his football career over.
One year later, in September 2001, Taliaferro walked onto the field, leading his teammates out of the tunnel before their season-opening game against the Miami (Florida) Hurricanes. He wasn’t going to play again, but he defied most doctors’ early predictions that he would never walk.
It’s a great story because Taliaferro is charismatic, humble, talented and bright. Those who visited his hospital room-from friends and family to famous athletes-felt lucky just to share time with him.
Although authors Scott Brown and Sam Carchidi have done an admirable job of reporting, the book’s a bit simplistic. Maybe that’s a good thing; it’s suitable for youngsters from middle school on up, and Taliaferro’s a worthy role model.
In one passage, his then-girlfriend asks Taliaferro, who was bedridden and forced to wear diapers, “How come you never cry? How come you’re never down?”
His reply: “Well, I’m going to walk again, and they tell me I’m going to have a second chance and there’s no reason to cry. I look around and see people who are never going to walk again. I’m going to have a second chance.”
The authors sum it up: “Adam Taliaferro, his neck broken and his NFL dreams shattered, felt lucky.”
Understanding a child’s headache can be tricky. There’s something mysterious, says the author, Dr. Sarah Cheyette, “about a force that causes so much pain, yet leaves no outward mark.”
Cheyette dissects this complex topic, starting with some basic questions: How do children and teens define pain and describe their headaches, which in turn clues in doctors and parents to causes and relief?
For example, Cheyette writes, when a doctor asks an 8-year-old boy where his head hurts, he points to his forehead and replies: “It hurts here. And when it hurts, it feels like someone is pushing my head tight.” A 4-year-old simply looks at his mother when asked the same question. No wonder it takes time to figure out what’s wrong.
Cheyette goes through factors that influence children’s headaches, from gender and personality to the family’s reaction to pain. Other chapters describe the medical causes and different types of headaches, from sinus and tension to dental and eye-strain-based. She also covers migraines (yes, children suffer from these), as well as medications and non-drug therapies. Final chapters include a “headache diary” and a guide to what your child’s doctor should ask during office visits and what the physician’s questions and tests mean.
Is your child’s coach capable of running a healthy sports program for kids? Are two-a-day practices too much for your youngster? Can a child with diabetes play competitive football? Should your asthmatic child participate in outdoor sports?
Although recreational and competitive sports are important for physical and emotional growth, it’s vital for parents to be well educated before their child becomes involved in physical activity, especially in these days of multiple sports and practices and traveling youth teams.
“The Sports Medicine Bible for Young Athletes” is a very good source for parents and coaches alike. It covers all the sports basics, from strength training and flexibility to diet and drug use in youth sports. Dr. Lyle Micheli, director of the Division of Sports Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, along with co-author Mark Jenkins, also have included an extensive section on sports injuries. Explanations and diagrams are comprehensive and easy to understand, and the authors list probable causes of injuries and athletes who are at risk as well as self-treatment options and rehabilitation suggestions.
Unfortunately, and perhaps this is a matter of lack of space, the authors don’t explain how to do the suggested stretching and strengthening exercises for injury treatment, so you will need a companion book on stretching and strengthening, or some other research on these topics, to complete this athlete’s “bible.”
It’s the rare business traveler who would describe his or her travels as fun, and given the events of Sept. 11, travel is even less enjoyable today. That makes this book even more useful.
Joanne Lichten, an educator, motivational speaker and registered dietitian who has racked up plenty of frequent-flier miles, gives numerous tips designed to make life easier before, during and after your trip.
Although you’ve probably heard some of Lichten’s suggestions before–special order in-flight meals, drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration–many are new and innovative, and the oldies are always good reminders.
Lichten provides menu suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the road as well as a list of foods and beverages you’ll want to bring to keep your body healthy. The chapter on exercising gives options for getting a decent workout at your hotel (whether in the gym/pool, nearby stairwells and hallways or with your own lightweight equipment you’ve brought along).
Also listed are addresses of health clubs nearest the nation’s 40-plus major airports. (Some, like Miami’s International, have on-site gyms for passengers. Others, like O’Hare, have attached hotels that charge fees for travelers itching to go anaerobic.)
An entire chapter devoted to sleeping well offers bedtime routines to relax the anxious traveler. Common travel ailments, from jet lag to stomach upset, also are discussed. An extensive section on travel safety and making things easier for children and spouses left behind round out this handy travel primer.
Several decades ago, when author/psychiatrist Maureen Empfield was a medical resident, mental health professionals believed that true depression among teenagers was rare, and when depression did arise, it simply was a “normal phase” of adolescent development.
Empfield, now director of psychiatry at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, soon discovered how misguided this thinking was.
Research has confirmed her beliefs. In fact, Empfield writes, “early-onset depression is not normal and can predict numerous unhappy life events for youngsters, including school failure, teenage pregnancy, and suicide attempts.”
Her book offers parents and caregivers of teens a calm, reasoned and rational approach to recognizing and treating teen depression. It’s a topic that is increasingly relevant. Teen depression and suicide are on the upswing, perhaps due in part to increased pressures that teens face today, ranging from sex and drugs to violence in and out of school.
It’s important to recognize and quickly address teen depression, Empfield says, but some parents simply try to ignore it in hopes it will disappear. That’s a mistake, according to Empfield, who explains that untreated depression is extremely painful, it doesn’t always conveniently go away, and it’s a major cause of suicide. And during a depression, a child misses out on normal social and intellectual development, which can have lifelong consequences, including adult depression.
Empfield covers diagnosis and explains which teens are most at risk. She also discusses suicide, the different health professionals who treat depression and their methods, the role of psychiatric hospitals and legal and ethical concerns.
